


The Last Fairy on Earth

by enkelimagnus



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Bisexual Isabelle Lightwood, Canon-Typical Violence, Darker than the original cartoon, F/F, F/M, Fairies, Lesbian Clary Fray, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Winx Club AU, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-11-25 20:43:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20918321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enkelimagnus/pseuds/enkelimagnus
Summary: Her name is Clary Fairchild, and she’s an entirely normal 19-year-old human girl.Except she isn’t. That comes at a complete surprise just as she’s about to die a horrible death at the hands of a yellow ogre. That’s just what she gets for trying to save Isabelle, a fairy Princess from the planet Solaria.Her life is changed forever as she embarks on a journey that will give her more than she could ever hope for.





	1. An Unexpected Event

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very self-indulgent little AU, written because I started re-binging the Winx Club cartoon after the announcement of the TV adaptation. 
> 
> Some of the things are changed, of course. It wasn't really possible to fit every character with their SH version, so the Specialists aren't exactly the same team anymore? I'm not keeping a specific Sky, a specific Brandon, Riven or Timmy. 
> 
> Either way I hope you'll enjoy this!
> 
> A big round of thanks to everyone who has helped me out with this, and to my wonderful friend and beta Blue (IndigoDream).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clary becomes involved in a fight between a magical fairy Isabelle, and a gang of trolls headed by an ogre. Clary takes Izzy home and there Izzy introduces her to the world of Magix, where the College of Alfea for aspiring fairies is located.

Amber Fairchild let her fingers trace over the black smudgy lines of her daughter’s charcoal drawing of a landscape of Gardenia. In particular, it was a drone-view of the area where the Fairchilds’ house was located. 

Behind it, on the cork board, was pinned another charcoal drawing, these times of fairies. Amber could only see two but she knew there were 3. They were quite beautiful. Clary was getting better at facial expressions.

On the drawing desk were a couple of more sheets of paper. Two versions of the same castle, a fairytale-worthy structure, complete with thin flags flowing over the towers, from different views. And a portrait of a woman. The woman strangely looked like Clary. Like a family resemblance. 

Amber wondered if Clary was drawing what she thought her birthparents looked like. Amber and William Fairchild had never hidden the fact that Clary was adopted from her. It had never seemed to be an issue for Clary, but maybe she was starting to want to know more. 

That was knowledge that the Fairchilds didn’t have. William had found Clary in a house fire, eighteen years ago.

Clary had turned nineteen less than a week ago. 

It was a bit of a shock, for Amber. Her baby was all grown up now. She was going to start her second year at the prestigious Gardenia Academy of Art in a couple of weeks, and she was growing into a fierce and wonderful young lady. 

Amber stepped over the clothing and the books that were scattered over the floor. Clary was maybe an adult now, but she was still a messy teenager. 

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Amber called, slightly louder than she usually would. "The sun’s been up for ages!"

The dog that they owned, a fawn-and-white one-year-old whippet named Kiko that was surprisingly human some days, was napping in his basket next to the bed.

Clary shifted in her bed, only her red hair visible in between her pillow and the duvet. 

"Five more minutes, Mom," she grumbled and buried her face impossibly further into the pillow. Amber smiled widely and moved a little closer.

"You’re late, Clary!" She said softly, in a sing-song voice, right next to her daughter’s face. 

There was a second-long beat, during which Clary put two and two together and suddenly she bolted out of bed. "FUCK!" She cursed loudly as she ran around the room. "How the fuck did I miss my alarm?"

Amber winced at the curses. Yes, they had allowed uncensored swearing to Clary on her 18th birthday, but that didn’t mean it was easy to get used to.

"It’s the first day of the school year, none of my things are ready, what the fuck was I thinki-" Clary stopped, one leg down her jeans and looked up. 

"Hang on a sec," she said softly, before turning towards her mother. "YOU. That’s SO not funny," she grumbled. 

Amber chuckled. School was not starting again before a couple of weeks. "You fell for it, didn’t you?" She crossed her arms.

Clary finished putting on her black croptop and ripped jeans, before falling bad onto the bed dramatically. "I don’t care. I’m going back to bed."

Amber sighed. "It’s 9am. Late enough." 

Clary huffed and slid under her duvet again. Kiko jumped onto the bed and snuggled against her. 

Amber looked at her softly. "You should try going to bed earlier, you know. You were up really late last night." William and her had gone to bed relatively late, and they had seen the light under the door of her bedroom.

"I was reading..." Clary sighed. 

Amber grabbed the book she was pointing at from the floor. The cover had a fairy on it, just like Clary’s drawings. She sighed. This was a little more mature and scientific, if there was such thing as the scientific study of fairies.

""Fairies: Myth or Reality?"" She read out, and huffed. "Urgh, don’t you ever get tired of these silly things?" She asked softly. 

Clary shook her head. "I don’t. I like them." 

Amber nodded. "Alright then. Who am I to call them silly if you care about them so much?" 

Clary sat up on her bed. With her messy hair and her tired look, she still looked like a child to Amber. Her smile was still as contagious. 

"Thanks, Mom," she said softly. 

Amber waved it off. "Oh, It’s nothing, darling. Now, come get coffee." 

\--------------

Since she’d woken up early, Clary guessed she got to be doing some stuff. She’d decided to take Kiko on a trip to the park. The park allowed for dogs to be unleashed, as long as people were careful. 

It was Clary and Kiko’s favorite place to go. Usually, Clary would run around and play for a while, before sitting down by her favorite tree and drawing while Kiko either went to run around or laid by her feet.

Clary rode her bike, with Kiko secured in a basket, to the park, where she settled at her usual spot. She put her back against the tree and grabbed Kiko’s toy. 

After a few rounds of throwing and running and playing, she decided to sit down. Kiko still seemed to have a bunch of energy so she let him go play."Go on Kiko, but stick around, alright?" She called. 

She sat down on the grass and grabbed her sketchpad. She barely had time to get drawing that Kiko came back, howling, absolutely terrified. 

"What’s the matter Kiko?" Clary asked, gently patting the terrified animal. She stood up, looking towards the part of the park Kiko had come running from. 

It was a deeper, wilder part, where people went a little more rarely. She swallowed and stepped forward, grabbing the pepper spray from her bag and walking into the bushes. 

Kiko followed, whining at her feet, almost trying to tell her not to come. Clary stopped next to a clearing, as strange noises were coming from it.

From behind the tree, Clary saw something that she couldn’t really explain. 

It was a woman. More exactly, it was the most beautiful woman Clary had ever seen. Her tan skin radiated with a glow that definitely couldn’t come from only body glitter. Clary swallowed. She wore shorts and a one-shoulder crop top, made of a glittery golden orange material, that hugged her curves perfectly. She had matching heeled boots. Her dark hair was parted into two low pigtails, held with golden orange bands. 

Clary’s eyes opened wider. From the woman’s shoulder blades sprouted translucent blue wings. They were delicate and beautiful, glittering gently with every motion of her body. 

She was fighting, kicking at strange monsters. She had a cyan-blue scepter with a sun-shaped circle at the top, in her left hand, and Clary focused on that rather than the rest of the seriously wrong things happening in front of her. 

"Rising Sun!" The woman shouted, and a blast of blinding golden light erupted from her right hand, sending one of the monsters tumbling down, screaming in pain, before it quickly disappeared in a pile of ash.

"Wow!" Clary heard herself say. She could feel the power that came from the woman. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. "Goodness, did you see that Kiko?" The dog was hiding, trembling, behind a log.

"Solar Wind!" This time, the wave of light was more diffuse, but it still was successful in burning away a number of the small monsters. It was... it was like the woman was doing spells. That and the wings... Clary felt a headache forming between her temples.

“I am warning you," the woman spoke out. Her voice was calmer than Clary’s would have been in the same situation. "Leave this realm now or you will feel the magical wrath of the Sun and Moon fairy!"

The yellow monster erupted in a loud laugh, that turned into an animalistic snarl, and then it charged. It started running, full speed, towards the relatively small - if unnaturally powerful - woman.

She put up a fight, but was violently shoved backwards. Clary saw her fly over a short distance and land painfully on the grassy ground.

"Oh my god!" Clary exclaimed. 

The woman wasn’t getting up. She was laying very close to where Clary was still hidden, and she wasn’t getting up. She was trying, but the painful landing had cut off her breath and she was struggling to regain it. 

"Your time is up fairy!" The monster shouted. It turned to the smaller monsters, red, ant-like creatures. "Take the scepter! Give me that scepter!"

The small creatures pounced. Clary almost screamed as they attacked the woman on the ground, holding her down and prying open her fingers to get the scepter out of her hand.

They ended up managing to get it from her when they used their paws to block out her eyes and mouth, keeping her from breathing and seeing. She instinctively let go of the scepter, and the monsters took advantage of that.

The yellow monster smirked as the scepter was given to him. "Not so strong now, are you?" He growled, and moved, aiming towards the fallen woman with the scepter. 

Clary moved without thinking. She ran out from the trees and stood in front of the woman, standing tall and looking at the monster with a hiss. "Let her go!"

The monster raised its eyebrows. Yes, it had eyebrows. What the fuck?

"Get her!" It roared.

She saw the monsters coming at her. She felt the flame inside of her. It built from her heart to her fingertips, burning, pulsing, wanting to get out. And it did. She felt the flame leave her skin and radiate around her, and the monsters died as they touched it.

She blinked, her fingers tingling. One of the remaining monsters grabbed Kiko’s tail, making him yelp loudly. "Hands off Kiko!" Clary grabbed a branch and beat it off of him.

Well. She wasn’t that bad at self-defense. 

A giant yellow hand wrapped around her wrists, pinning both of them in one crushing grip. She groaned loudly in pain and tried to get away. 

She felt it again. With the pain crushing her wrists, came also the flame. It burnt again, from her heart onwards. She closed her eyes and felt it escape her body again.

The monster screamed in agony. Clary pried her eyes open, only to be blinded by a too-bright ray of light. She closed them again, but small light spots still danced behind her eyelids.

"Hey, that was... powerful," the woman said. 

Clary opened her eyes again, and her vision was back to normal. She could already feel she would have a headache, and she felt absolutely exhausted, but she could see alright. 

The woman, with her dark hair, her wings and her orange glittery clothing, was staring at her with awe. She had dark eyes that held a bright spark, her lips were painted red, and it looked like she’d sacrificed at least a dozen children to some dark deities for her beauty. 

She walked closer to Clary and held out her hand, helping her to her feet. "Are you okay?" She asked softly. Her voice was even nicer when she wasn’t yelling. 

Even if she was standing in shadows now, she was still glowing. _ The Sun and Moon Fairy _. If that was true, the glowing would make sense. 

"Yeah..." Clary managed to reply, mouth hanging open, trying to wrap her head around the situation. A stunning woman with wings, who referred to herself as a fairy, was holding her hand like it was something precious, after Clary had protected her from a monster.

Said monster got up from the ground then. The woman - the fairy - turned around. She planted her feet into the ground. "You want the scepter? Come and get it!" She taunted. A burst of golden light caught the monster square in the chest, sending him flying back. 

Clary was about to shout at her to watch out for the remaining of the ant-like monsters but the woman was already moving. She snarled with effort, the entire scepter and her hands lighting up with the same gold light that seemed to envelop all her spells. 

She jumped, a powerful, unnatural leap aided with her wings’ flying ability, twirled the scepter over her head at lightning speed and suddenly cut through the air. 

All around her, following the path of the scepter, light erupted and monsters turned to ash. 

She twirled the scepter one more time in her hands, this time more for a flourish, before winking at Clary. Clary swallowed. 

"We will meet again, fairy!" The yellow beast warned, before disappearing in a beam of purple light. 

A heaviness that Clary had not realized was in the air lifted with the creatures departure. 

"Thank goodness," the woman exclaimed. She seemed genuinely relieved, even if she had demonstrated quite the abilities. "They’re gone at last!" 

Clary was about to reply, ask questions, do something, but the woman faltered. She crumbled to the ground, and let go of the scepter.

Clary rushed to her side. "Hey are you alright?" She called out. 

There was no reply. A bright light enveloped the woman’s unmoving body, and in the blink of an eye, her wings, her costume, and her pigtails were gone. Gone too was the glow that had seemed to radiate from her.

Her boots had changed to less practical heeled sandals, her crop top had changed shapes, with added cyan blue accessories and strings that wrapped around her waist. The shorts she’d been wearing became a skirt, long and flowing, with the same blue strings holding it to her waist.

The bands holding her hair parted were gone, it flowed free against the ground, and on her head rested something Clary recognized as a tiara, a cyan blue headband-like tiara that also had a sun-shaped circle at the back of her head, in the same shape as the top of the scepter. 

Panicked, Clary looked around and realized the scepter was gone. 

Fuck. She needed to call her parents. 

\-------------

Clary stared at the shredded pant leg of her jeans, toying with the straw in her lemonade glass. She hadn’t realized that the creatures had ruined it before she’d been home, with the woman laying on her bed, asleep. 

She could hear her mom and dad’s hushed whispers. They were standing in the kitchen, and the kitchen was only a few feet away. They weren’t exactly stealthy.

"Clary," her father started, turning to her and speaking a bit louder. "I’m not sure I understand. Could you run that by me again?"

She sighed deeply, looking up at him and leaning back in her chair. "It’s not complicated. Kiko and I were in the park. He got spooked so I went to see what was going on. She was there, fighting creatures. They called her a fairy. She called herself a fairy."

William sighed. Clary loved her dad, but she knew he was a skeptic when it came to these things. Neither Amber nor William really believed in the supernatural, magical things that Clary believed in. 

Clary was very different from her parents. Physically of course, since she was adopted. They were both brunettes, and there weren’t a redhead in their family. Her face was different, her stature was different. 

But in their beliefs too. Clary had always like the idea that there was more to the world that the things she could see. She believed in magic, and in the things that went bump in the night. 

"Hmm, I see," William mumbled.

"You believe me then?" Clary asked, even if she honestly had little hope that he did. 

"No, I don’t! I think we should call the police and take this girl to a hospital."

It was a sensible offer but Clary opened her mouth to refuse. She didn’t have time to. 

At that moment, a voice resounded in the room. "No, no please. Don’t tell anyone." 

The woman - the fairy - was standing in the doorway to the bedrooms corridor. She looked a bit pale, but perfectly alright. She was still incredibly beautiful.

Amber immediately stood up straighter and walked to her. "How do you feel dear?" She asked softly. She guided her to sit down on the couch. The four of them all moved to the living room. 

The fairy sat gracefully, at the age of the couch, back straight and ankles crossed elegantly. 

"I’m all right," she said softly to Amber. She then turned to Clary. "Thank you for helping me out."

Clary shook her head. "Why else could I have done? Leave you passed out in the middle of the park?" 

The fairy smiled gracefully. "Still. You were very kind to bring me to your home." She looked regal sitting there, in her fancy clothing and the tiara that she still wore. She was silent and elegant.

"I’m Clary," Clary said softly. "Clary Fairchild. And these are my parents. Amber and William Fairchild." 

The woman nodded. "It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Isabelle. My friends call me Izzy." There was more to that, but Clary waved it away. They were strangers, after all. 

"Can we drive you somewhere, Izzy?" William asked. 

Clary almost glared at him. She could feel in his tone that he wanted Izzy out of their home as fast as possible. Now that she looked alright and awake, there was no reason for her to stay longer, right? 

Izzy had a small chuckle. "That would be difficult. I come from a place that’s a bit far from here."

"Fairyland?" William huffed. 

Izzy raised a perfectly styled eyebrow in his direction. "There’s no such thing. Maybe the Legendarium World would qualify, but that’s only where the Ancestral Fairies came from, not where they reside. I am from Solaria. Not Fairyland." Her voice was cold. 

William opened his mouth and closed it right after. Clary’s head felt like it was spinning. She’d read nothing about the Ancestral Fairies or the Legendarium World. She’d never even heard of those before, in all her research about fairies. 

"But you’re a fairy, right?" 

Izzy turned to her and nodded, smile coming back to her lips. "I am. The Fairy of the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. One day, I will be the Guardian Fairy of my Kingdom, Solaria." 

So Guardian Fairies were a thing. Alright, that was something that Clary understood. 

"How did you end up on Earth?" Clary asked curiously. 

"I was trying to get to Alfea castle in the realm of Magix... It’s one of the magical dimensions, and Alfea is the College for Fairies. It’s the best school out there for fairies."

Clary could almost physically feel the skepticism and annoyance coming from behind her but sighed. 

"Those creatures attacked me and I was forced to land here, on your planet," Izzy continued, before she turned to Amber and William. "Your daughter saved my life. I had never seen instinctive magic quite like that."

Clary shook her head. "I... I don’t know what happened. It all went so fast and the flame..." 

"It _was_ similar to the fire magic I’ve seen before," Izzy pointed out. "And you don’t actually need to know how. Instinctive magic exists in all of us magical beings, may we be Fairies or not." 

William sighed and looked at both Clary and Izzy. "I don’t... I don’t understand what’s going on." 

Amber shook her head. "I don’t understand either. But this..."

"It could be some sort of scheme. Acting." 

Izzy stood up gracefully. She slid the blue ring she was wearing off of her finger, and it suddenly changed shapes. She was now holding the scepter that the monsters had been trying so hard to get. 

Clary exhaled. Now she didn’t have to break it to her than she had lost her precious scepter. 

Izzy planted the scepter firmly in front of her and put her two hands on it, one above the other. She closed her eyes for a moment. 

Amber gasped as a bright ball of light came out of the sun-shaped circle at the top of the scepter. It danced around the living room, moving between the four of them with elegance, following motions of Izzy’s fingers. 

"Can you believe me now?" She asked softly. 

Amber looked over at her. "I think I do." 

William stayed silent. 

\---------------

Clary sat down heavily on her bed. It felt like so much had happened since she’d left it, this every morning. 

Now, there was a fairy in her bedroom. She wasn’t as tall as Clary would have imagined a fairy would be. Actually, Clary and her were about the same height. The fairy was maybe a bit smaller even, was she to take off her heels. 

Said fairy, Izzy, was currently looking around Clary’s room. She was especially focused on the drawing table and the drawings that Clary had pinned on the corkboard. She reached up and gently touched the one with the fairies. 

“Did you draw these?" She asked, tone curious, as she turned around and looked at Clary. Her eyes were shining. 

"Yes. I’m an art student.”

“That’s amazing! And so are those drawings!” Izzy exclaimed. There was a hint of black from the charcoal on her fingertips as she pulled her hand back. “I’m a student too. Guardian fairy curriculum, at Alfea College for Fairies.” 

Clary raised an eyebrow. “So there are classes on how to be a fairy?”

“Not exactly?” Izzy hummed. “You take classes to learn how to harness all of your power and make sure you’re using your magic correctly. That’s the gist of most fairy programs in the magical dimensions, but Alfea has a special Guardian Fairy program. You learn how to care for your realms, your planets… And you get pushed to reach the ultimate fairy form that Guardian Fairies have to have. The Enchantix.”

Clary chuckled. “You’re speaking Chinese.” 

“I’m not. I’m speaking Earth English,” Izzy raised an eyebrow. 

“I meant, I don’t really understand what you’re saying. This is so new to me. Real fairies seem very much entirely different from what we learn about fairies on Earth.” 

Izzy hummed, walking over to the book about fairies that Clary had been reading the night before. She picked it up and flipped it open, looking through some random pages. 

"Is your world like that?" Clary asked softly. “Do they have some things right?” 

The woman seemed to hesitate a little. “They have a few things right. But it’s not as pretty as in this book. Not as perfect. There are issues, like in every other world, every other society. And not every fairy is sweet and perfect. Fairies may use white magic, maybe, but not all fairies are good.” 

Clary nodded a little, sighing. “I guess… Yeah. It’s just weird. To think that, this morning, I mostly thought it was a fairytale, a story.” 

Izzy smiled softly, looking at her. “And now, there’s a real life fairy in front of you?” 

Clary sighed. “And I might be one.” 

“Your power sure felt like fairy magic to me. I mean, I’m not a professional, far from it. I did just spend a year at a school full of them though. And grew up around a couple. The King and Queen of Solaria made sure I had only fairy tutors.” 

Clary huffed, standing up and going to tidy some things. “The King and Queen had something to say in your education? Damn.” 

“The King and Queen of Solaria are my parents.” 

Clary turned around and stared at the other woman. So that explained the regal manners, the perfectly polished behavior and the way she spoke. It wasn’t just what fairies were like, it was what a fairy princess was like. 

“You’re a princess, too?” 

Izzy chuckled. She stood up straighter, taking the ring off of her finger again and looking at Clary. She took a complicated bow, using the scepter for balance, her dark hair flowing over her shoulders. She looked up at her and smiled. 

“Princess Isabelle of Solaria, Princess of the Sun and the Moon, and Fairy of the Sun and the Moon. One day, surely, Guardian Fairy of the Kingdom of Solaria,” she introduced herself. 

Clary couldn’t help but stare at her. It was… so much. There was a fairy princess in her bedroom, and she was absolutely beautiful. And sweet. 

“And you, my dear,” Izzy said walking towards her and gently cupping her cheek. “might just be the Fairy of Fire.” 

\-------------------

The grass under Clary’s feet felt unnaturally soft. She guessed it was all unnatural, since they were in what Izzy called a bottomless postcard. Clary looked up. There was a rectangle in the sky, an opening, through which she could see the ceiling of her bedroom. 

They stood in what looked, felt and seemed like a normal clearing in the some cartoonishly perfect woods. The trees looked like they had been drawn from the dreams of a ten-year-old, and the birds were singing. The rays of sun on Clary’s skin were so bright and defined that they seemed solid. 

In front of her, Izzy had her eyes closed, her head tilted back slightly as she let the sunbeam fall on her features. Her skin was golden then, smooth and perfect. Everything seemed smooth and perfect. 

Clary wondered whether it was the fact that it was a postcard that made it like this, almost unreal. Maybe it was just how it was in this magic world. 

Izzy re-opened her eyes and for a moment, they shimmered gold, the sunray catching directly in them and transforming the darkness of her iris into light. 

“So this is Alfea Castle,” Izzy exclaimed. Clary stopped staring at her and looked over where Izzy was pointing. They were close to it. 

It was niched in the forest and felt like a safe haven from the world. Nothing imperfect could happen here, she was sure of it. While the roof was blue and almost blended in with the sky, the walls of the castle were a soft pink with purple accents. It reminded her a bit of cotton candy. But elegant cotton candy. 

The buildings had a roundness to them that reminded Clary of the ones she would draw as a child. The whole area felt like taking a step back into her childhood, revising the perfect world that she had imagined fairies lived in. She hadn’t been so wrong, after all.

There were tall windows and balconies over the upper levels of the building. “Do people live there?” 

Izzy nodded. “It’s a boarding school. Up to six people can share an apartment, itself divided in rooms. Royalty, like me, usually get solo rooms. You’d be getting a room with a roommate probably. “

Clary didn’t know if she would mind. As long as the other girl wasn’t weird with her because Clary was gay, she would love to share a room with someone and live out some sort of collegial dream that her proximity with her school in Gardenia didn’t allow her. Even if she loved the fact that she didn’t have to pay to live at her parents’. Thinking of Gardenia…

“What about my school in Gardenia? I would waste so much money dropping out of there and coming here… It’s free right?” 

Izzy shrugged. “For someone like you? Absolutely. We royals pay entrance fees and donate money so others, with less money, can have it for free. It’s also considered a good deed, and charity is a very important value, especially in the fairy world.” 

Clary opened her mouth and tried to think of something to say, but all of what was playing in her head was the stupidities and cruel words that politicians said on tv. About not wanting to pay so others can have access to the same things as them, especially things like healthcare or education.

Maybe some of those people existed in this world, but they seemed to be enough of a minority that prestigious schools like Alfea didn’t work with their model. 

“I’m sure you’d like it here," Izzy grinned. 

“I don’t know… I have to talk about it with my parents. It’s a big change.” 

The idea of letting go of her spot at the Gardenia Academy of Arts, the idea of leaving Gardenia behind, leaving the future she had envisioned behind and diving head first into this new world and this new life terrified her. 

She could feel a pull in her heart, a feeling that, if she did not take the chance, she would throw away the chance to follow her fated path. But was it strong enough to counteract the rational concerns about money and future? 

“Listen, you have a night to think about it. Talk with your parents, think a bunch. When I’m leaving tomorrow, I can take you with me. But after that… I have no idea when you’d meet another fairy able to get you here…” Izzy said softly. “Though I would probably come back for you.”

Clary opened wide eyes at that. “Really?” She whispered and some kind of weird hope and warmth filled her chest. 

Izzy nodded, looking at her softly. “Really. There is something about you… I feel like our paths have crossed for a reason. I was destined to crash on Earth, be saved by you, and bring magic into your life. I can’t explain it.” 

Clary didn’t know if she could believe her. Izzy was wonderful and beautiful and almost unreal. What if Clary was just hallucinating this? What if this was just a dream? 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Izzy taking her hand in hers. Clary looked down at their two hands joined, her skin looking absolutely white next to Izzy’s darker tone. 

“Let’s get out of there, alright?” Izzy asked. 

Clary nodded. 

“All you gotta do is jump up!” Izzy explained and looked up at the opening in the sky. She looked over at Clary for a moment. Clary nodded at her again. They counted to three and jumped. 

Clary could feel herself pulled upwards, and it was a bit uncomfortable, but very quick. It passed easily. She shook her head as she resurfaced in her bedroom, struggling a little to adapt. 

She didn’t have much time to do the adjustments however, because a few seconds after they had come back from the postcard, there was a loud crash, coming from downstairs. It was followed by a great snarl.

Izzy’s eyes opened wide at that and she turned to Clary. They rushed downstairs immediately. 

It was chaos. The small red ant-like monsters were back, and Clary could see the massive back of the yellow creature. There was another one with them this time, it was blue and it was snarling the loudest. They were making quick work of destroying the living room

"Those girls must be around here somewhere," the yellow one growled. 

Before he could ask Amber and William where they were, Clary and Izzy came up behind them. There was a fire in Izzy’s eyes that Clary hadn’t really seen before. She’d already been tired when they’d met in the midst of battle. 

"We’re right behind you!" Izzy called out. The yellow monster growled in confusion and Izzy smirked. “Let’s end this, shall we?"

Before Clary could say anything, Izzy was standing in front of her, feet planted wide. “Solaria!” She shouted, and a beam of bright light surrounded her in a blinding pocket of light. Clary lost sight of her, but only for a second. Almost immediately, rays erupted from the light cocoon, and the cocoon exploded. 

Gone were the royal garments and the tiara, and back were the fairy wings. She wore the same outfit Clary had seen on her in the park, orange cropped top with only one shoulder, short shorts of the same sparkling orange material, and knee high boots. Her hair had magically been divided into two pigtails held by orange tube ties, and Clary felt the power radiating from her. Her first impression hadn’t been mistaken. In her fairy form, Izzy was glowing.

Clary gasped as Izzy immediately flew forward, kicking the blue monster in the chest. She had the time to notice nipple rings on this one. What was THAT about? Clary decided not to focus on the possibly kinkiness of the enormous blue monster that was destroying her home. 

"What’s the use of you?” The yellow beast snarled at the blue one. “You got beat by a cutesy fairy!" 

Izzy landed on her feet and raised an eyebrow. “Of course he did. But... I’m no ordinary fairy,” she chuckled. “I’m the Princess of Solaria!” 

She turned to Clary. “Clary, we’re outnumbered. We’re gonna have to split them up."

Without thinking, Clary nodded. “Alright, I have an idea. I’ll take care of the red ones."

She was running entirely on automatism. She shot a quick glance at Amber and William, nodding at them reassuringly, before she started running out of the house. She ran through the corridor and the kitchen, slammed the door open and ran outside. She shut the door back once she was there, keeping the red creatures outside. 

Once there, she froze. “Fuck.” She had no idea what to do. 

By her side, Kiko was barking and shaking, in a mix of wanting to protect her and being absolutely terrified. She definitely could relate to that feeling. She wanted to protect her home and her parents, but now she was outside, alone, with four little red monsters that could maybe possibly kill her. She wasn’t exactly comfortable. 

She got into position to try and summon the magical flame that she’d felt in the park. She took a deep breath. “Come on, Clary,” she whispered. “You can-”

She didn’t have time to finish her sentence. Out of thin air, the yellow monster had appeared and had crashed down on the red monsters, killing them instantly. The yellow creature itself looked pretty damaged. 

Well. Izzy sure knew how to command respect. 

Right as she was thinking that, there was a loud crashing noise and Izzy came flying through the glass window. She landed on the ground and groaned loudly. 

“Izzy!" Clary exclaimed, running to help her get up. She didn’t look in that good of a state. Her previously so smooth and perfect skin was littered with small cuts from the glass, and she could see a couple of pieces sticking out of some slightly deeper wounds. She was bleeding. There were cuts in her wings too, shredding the delicate membranes.

"Don’t worry,” Izzy smiled a little, but you could see it was painful. “I’ve called the Specialists."

The what now? "Who?"

Izzy didn’t reply. Whoever the Specialists were, Clary sure hoped that they were coming soon. The blue monster - that she’d heard referred to as a troll - was now coming out of the main door. Coming through might be more appropriate, as the beast just forced its way through the wood. 

It walked, slowly, and all Clary could do was watch. Izzy seemed weaker even than at the park, and she almost couldn’t sit up. There was no hope. They were going to die in there, because there was no way that people from another dimension would show up THAT fast. 

Clary closed her eyes and held Izzy’s hand as the creature loomed over them. “I love you, mom and dad.” She whispered, even if she knew they couldn’t hear her. They’d fled through the back of the house. 

She smelled the troll’s nauseating breath on her. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. She was only 19. She couldn’t even summon the little bits of power she had. She waited for death. 

Death didn’t come. There was a loud crack, the crack of a whip, and the troll snarled.

Clary opened her eyes. A thick black cable was wrapped around the troll’s neck, pulling it backwards. She took in a ragged breath, eyes following the cable to where four men were standing. 

The one holding the whip had blond hair that flopped over his face. He wore a… bodysuit? With a cape? And very tight, at that. Clary put the outfit in the “WTF - will revisit later and demand an explanation” folder of her brain that was growing fuller by the second, at this point. 

"Guys, I’m ready,” one of the other men said. This one had short dark hair and glasses. So there were magical creatures with vision issues. Okay. Good to know, she guessed. 

The one in between whip-guy and glasses-guy had dark hair, a bit of a frown and was very tall. Taller by a few inches than the three other men for sure. "Alright, let’s take him to jail where he belongs." He called out. He seemed to be the leader of the group. 

Whip guy huffed. "What’s the rush? Don’t you want to have a little bit of fun first?"

Clary almost yelled at him that Izzy was on the floor bleeding and that if they could remove the death threat from their vicinity, that would be great. 

The fourth man, who was the only one not to be wearing the tight bodysuit and cape combo, sighed. He was holding a long black staff, leaning against it and waiting. His clothing was just as… unusual as the others’. He wore a purple turtle neck dress-like garment with elbow-length sleeves, decorated with yellow stripes, split open on both sides below the waist, and held at the waist tightly with a red sash. His pants were of the same purple color. 

"I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you. After all, this is only your first mission,” he pointed out. 

Just as he was saying that, the troll tugged on the whip, sending the one who was holding it flying towards him. Whip-guy let go of the whip then, and landed right next to Clary and Izzy. 

The purple-wearing man sighed. "I rest my case."

Clary watched helplessly still as the troll turned to the remaining three and started attacking. The edge of the staff purple-guy was wielding turned into a blade as he switched hands. Now holding the staff-blade in his left hand, he used his right hand to perform a complicated motion. A dark, smokey ball of energy seemed to erupt from his palm and crashed into the ground. 

The ground opened up then, and the troll stumbled, letting up his attacks on the others. Its ankle caught in the crack and it howled. The glasses-wearing man jumped into action, closing manacles onto its fists. 

“Well done, but it’s not over yet!” The dark-haired leader spoke out. 

The red monsters that had been kept had bay by the Specialists were now turning towards Clary, Izzy, and the man next to them. The blond man huffed and got up. He looked dirty and tired and turned to them and sent them a wink. 

"I’ll protect you, ladies."

Clary would have spoken up, but she was terrified, and didn’t understand a thing of what was going on, so she stayed silent. He took a strange object, and activated it. A fuschia saber blade appeared, and with that, he started fighting. 

Clary didn’t know where to look, but she was pulled back to the situation when she felt fingers intertwining with hers. 

“Clary,” Izzy whispered. “We have to use magic on the yellow monster.” 

“But… you’re injured and I can’t…”

Izzy shook her head. “Help me up.” 

Clary slid a hand around Izzy’s waist and helped her to her feet. The fairy turned to her, looking at her with a firm, stern look. “Magic is often linked to emotion. We need to help the Specialists, or the monsters will kill us, and also your parents.” 

Clary opened wide eyes. 

"Strong feelings such as fear have summoned up the wonderful powers that are in you once before,” Izzy said, in a hushed whisper. “They were always there, you just didn’t know it. It’s just a question of concentration. With your energy you can do anything.” 

“But I can’t, I’ve tried and I can’t…” 

“Believe it,” Izzy whispered. “Believe you can produce just one burst… You must.” 

Clary closed her eyes. She wanted to believe that she could. She didn’t know about being a fairy yet, but she hadn’t imagined what had happened at the park. If she could do it once, she could do it again. 

She felt it. The flame. The built-up was slower and smaller than it had been at the park, it had been a sudden burst of energy. Here, she had to work for it. So she did. She took the spark and pulled. She called it to her. 

And just when the yellow monster punched the whip-guy out of the way, the flame appeared in between her hands. Izzy grinned next to her. “Now throw it!”

Clary didn’t know what she meant by that so she just did the motion. She kept the ball of energy, pulled her hands up and threw it, as if she was throwing one of those basketballs in high school P.E.. 

Izzy had thrown hers at the same time, and they both caught the monster square in the back. It howled in pain and crashed on the ground. 

“I told you, you could do it!” Izzy grinned. “I’m so proud of you!”

Clary looked down at her hands. She could still feel it, like a phantom caress on her finger tips, a light tingle. "Wow. Then I’m really a fairy,” she whispered out loud. 

"Of course you are, I’m never wrong,” Izzy chuckled. It was a bit of a strange sight, her smile and her cheerfulness, with light drops of blood rolling down her cheek from the cuts. 

The Specialists gathered around the weakened yellow creature as it painfully stood up. It seemed to realize that it was cornered as it swore loudly and looked around itself. They didn’t have time to grab it. It clapped its hands a couple of time and bright purple light engulfed it. Once it had dissipated, the creature was gone. 

Clary exhaled. Izzy’s knees buckled and she fell to the ground. 

“Izzy!” One of the men called out and came running to her. It was the dark-haired, tall and serious one. He easily slid his arms around her and pulled her up to his chest, carrying her bridal-style.

“Alec, I’m fine,” Izzy mumbled. 

“You’re not. You’re bleeding and your wings are shredded. We have a medic pod in the ship, you’ll need it.” 

Clary watched the scene, a bit perplexed. The purple-wearing man came up to her and smiled. “Are you alright there?” 

Clary crossed her arms. She felt exhausted. “I’m… fine. Just tired. Where is he taking her?” 

“To our ship. You can come with us, if you want.” The man was Asian, had dark brown eyes, golden skin and dark hair. 

Clary nodded. “Sure.”

He smiled. “Alright. By the way, I’m Magnus. We didn’t have time for introductions earlier.” 

Clary smiled back a little. “Clary. Clary Fray. I… Is Izzy going to be okay? She was really banged up.” 

Magnus nodded. “Don’t worry about her. Even if the medic pod can’t fix her entirely, we can bring her back to the Red Fountain to take care of her. Besides, Alexander will do everything possible to make sure she’s alright.” 

Clary guessed Alexander was the dark-haired man that had ran to her immediately. “Are they…”

Magnus laughed. “Oh Gods no. Alexander is Isabelle’s brother. Crown Prince Alexander of Solaria, to be exact. And, Alexander well…” He had a little smirk. “He’s taken.” Magnus sent a look at the man. It was both soft and somewhat possessive and Clary let out a small “oooh”. 

Magnus nodded. “Exactly. Now, let’s get you fixed up too, you look exhausted. And I’ll introduce you to Jace and Simon.”

\------------------

The ship was… not what Clary had expected. After the whimsical aspects of Alfea castle, she guessed she had imagined it less modern. It was shaped like a kite, with the cockpit on the top face of the structure, above the rest. 

As she stepped into the ship, Clary noticed the stairs leading up to the cockpit. The area below it had a long metallic table, upon which they laid Izzy. Alec grabbed what seemed like a first-aid kit and took out a syringe filled with a blue liquid. 

“Painkillers,” Magnus explained, as Alec injected the liquid into Izzy’s arm. “Since we don’t know how bad it is, we’re dosing her now. Best case scenario, we can fix her up here and she’ll just sleep it off at your place. Worst case scenario, we have to transport her to the Red Fountain, Solaria, or the fairy hospital in Magix, and she’ll need it.”

Clary hated to see Izzy like that. It felt like it was all her fault, even if she knew it wasn’t. 

Laser-like green and blue lights came out of the fixtures above the table and engulfed Izzy in what Clary hoped was healing magic. The dark-haired man - Alec - stayed by the side of the table, waiting, and watching. 

Unlike the last time, Izzy was still in her fairy form. 

The blonde-haired man walked up to them and looked at Clary. “Hey, what is she doing on the ship?” He asked Magnus. 

“She saved your ass and wanted to watch over Isabelle,” Magnus replied. He smiled at Clary. “So that’s Jace. He’s Alec’s squire.” 

Jace huffed. “More like… adoptive brother? I’m a ward of Solaria, and I grew up with Alec and Izzy,” he told Clary. Clary wondered if he was bragging or not. It wasn’t as if she actually cared. 

“That’s nice,” Clary said, keeping her tone as devoid of actual interest as she could. “And I’m guessing Simon is the one with the glasses?” 

Magnus nodded. “Yes. He’s our tech guy, and maybe the nicest person you’ll ever meet.” 

Izzy had been so incredibly nice that Clary wouldn’t really imagine anyone being nicer than her. She was still laying under the lights but the superficial cuts were healing. Some of the tears in her wings were growing back together as well, but not the biggest ones. 

“Magnus, could you suit up?” Alec asked over his shoulder and Magnus left Clary’s side with a light pat on her shoulder. She watched him put on some clothes and grab some tweezers. With those, he started taking out the pieces of glass that were still in some of the wounds. 

Clary didn’t know how she could stomach this. She normally hated the sight of blood and anything vaguely surgery-related. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe she didn’t want to leave the side of the one person she somewhat knew and trusted. Whatever it was, she seemed bolted into place. 

It felt like hours until Magnus was done taking out glass and stitching wings back together enough for the light beams to act. Alec and him talked quietly about what to do, and Alec eventually turned to Clary. 

“We’re going to leave her with you for tonight. I’ll alert our family in Solaria and see what they want us to do, but for now, she seems fine. She’ll probably need someone to check on her wings, but the infirmary of Alfea can do it.”

Clary nodded. “Alright. Does she require anything specific?”

Alec shook his head. “She just needs rest. She’ll probably turn back into her human form too. We managed to keep her in her fairy form as long as we could to take care of her wings, but it won’t hold for much longer.”

Clary didn’t know if she was qualified in any way to take care of a wounded fairy. She’d shot some magic out of her hands a couple of times, but that sure didn’t seem like it would be enough. 

The Specialists were starting to look tired too, and their uniform was a bit dirty. Clary noticed some light differences, mostly in the weapons they had holstered to their bodies, but also in the brooch that held their cloak in place, over their heart. They all had a different color. Jace’s was fuschia, just like the blade he’d used earlier. Alec’s was light blue, and Simon’s was yellow. She wondered if there was a significance. 

Izzy stirred on the table and opened her eyes. She huffed. “Really? Full medic pod?” She grumbled weakly. Clary guessed it was the painkillers that made her a bit loopy. Izzy tried to sit up but failed. She radiated less glow than she had when she’d been fully powered. 

They talked and checked her out for a small amount of time, and then got her back to the Fairchild house. Amber and William were sitting on their couch. They seemed quite uncomfortable, looking at their broken up apartment. 

As Alec and Clary moved to settle Izzy in the spare bedroom, Magnus, Simon and Jace offered to help rebuild and tidy. 

Alec laid Izzy on her stomach, as she was still in her fairy form. It seemed to flicker a little, not being able to completely stay permanent anymore. She was truly exhausted. Izzy grumbled some stuff about not being useless and being able to take care of herself under her breath as they tucked her in. 

She was asleep within seconds, and the wings disappeared with the rest of her fairy form. They took off her shoes, her tiara and jewelry, setting those on the bedside table before letting her sleep it off.

Soon after, the Specialists gone, Clary crashed in bed and fell asleep before she could take her clothes off.

\----------------

Clary yawned as she woke up, hours later. The sun was beaming inside her bedroom, and for a moment, she forgot what had happened. It was when she moved that she remembered, because she was aching. She was aching pretty much all over. 

And it hadn’t been from a particularly intense gym session either. It had been from using magic. She sat up straight on her bed immediately at the thought of that and regretted it just as fast. 

She still pulled herself out of bed. She slid out of the clothes she’d been wearing the night before and had slept in. She walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Everything was still messy. 

Amber and William were sitting in the kitchen, around a fresh pot of coffee, discussing something in hushed voices. Her mom’s dark hair and her dad’s blond hair were almost touching from how close they were and how secretive their conversation was. 

Clary cleared her throat. They looked up at her. Amber smiled softly at her daughter. 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” she said. 

Clary walked to the coffee pot, grabbed a mug and poured herself some. “You never call me sweetheart.” 

When she turned around, there was a heaviness in Amber’s eyes and in her smile. William sighed and gently put his hand on his wife’s. Clary swallowed. It all seemed so… strange. 

“We were talking about… all of what happened last night.” 

Clary nodded. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought her home with me, it only caused trouble.” 

Amber shook her head. “No, Clary, we don’t blame you at all. We don’t blame her either. She tried her best to protect us, and from what the… men from last night said, she was pretty injured doing so.” 

“We’re just thinking about what it means for you. And for this family,” William explained. He looked tired, much more tired than Clary was used to seeing him. He looked like he had just been on a triple shift at the casern. Maybe they had spent all night talking about that. 

“We want the best for you,” Amber explained. “And… from what we saw, there is something within you that has been awakened. Something you can’t control.” 

Clary sat down on a stool in front of them. She gathered her hands around the burning hot mug. It didn’t feel that bad. It even felt comforting. 

“The school Izzy talked about,” William sighed. “No matter how improbable it sounds, how… wrong my head is telling me it is… Maybe it could be a good place for you to learn how to control… all of that.” 

Clary didn’t really know what to say. She wanted to go to Alfea, she could feel that it was a right choice. But diving in the strange world of magic and fairies scared her. It terrified her. 

“You wouldn’t have to pay for anything… Only the royals pay. The rest can go for free,” Clary said softly. “I…”

“Be honest with us, darling,” Amber asked. “You’re an adult, and this is your life, your future. Does Alfea sound like a good option for you? Do you feel like you belong there?” 

Clary’s heart was screaming that yes, she belonged there. But there was still a little voice in the back of her mind. A voice that told her that she wasn’t good enough. That managing to create a couple of fire balls wasn’t the same as using spells and having a fairy form like Izzy had. 

“Yes,” she still said. “I… I want to go. I want to try. If I don’t succeed, well, I’ll come back.” 

William nodded and rubbed his face with his hand for a moment. “Okay, okay…” 

“So you’re leaving…”

“Today,” Clary said. “This morning, even. The term starts tomorrow, I believe.” 

She saw her parents hesitate then. It was a sudden change. Clary was afraid of it too. She’d never left home for more than a week of vacation with a girl she’d considered her friend in her last year of highschool. 

Amber stood up. “Then,” she said, her voice a bit shakier than Clary wanted it to be. “We need to get to packing.” 

Clary stood up as well. She walked around the table and hugged her dad for a moment. He hugged her back quickly, but gently pushed her away afterwards. “Go pack,” he said softly. 

Clary nodded and kissed his cheek. Amber and her walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. As they walked past the bathroom, they heard the water running. Izzy was in a good state then, if she was able to shower without issues. That made Clary feel better. 

Kiko ran between their legs, yapping as they took out the suitcase and started packing. 

“Can I take him?” 

Amber nodded. “Yes, we’ve talked about it. We’ve thought it would be good for you to have him, provided that the school lets you have him.” 

“I’ll ask Izzy, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.” 

They packed everything that Clary could think of and closed the suitcase. Amber was a little teary-eyed. Clary didn’t know what to do really, so she just hugged her tightly for a moment. 

“I’ll come back anyway. There sure are vacations. And I’ll make sure to get a phone that can call you the second I can,” she promised. 

They walked back down the stairs where Isabelle was chatting with William. William looked like he was only understanding part of the things she was saying. Amber cleared her throat. 

"Clary’s ready,” she said. 

Izzy turned around and grinned. She looked much better this morning than she had when she’d fallen asleep. She wasn’t pale anymore, she looked healthy. She wasn’t wearing her royal clothing anymore, nor was she in her fairy form. 

She wore a burnt orange jumpsuit, nice and fluid with a v cleavage and thin straps. She had a broad, large, Egyptian-looking necklace around her neck, ornate with orange, gold and blue stones, that Clary recognized from the first outfit she’d seen her in. It was probably something to do with her royal status. Crown jewels maybe.

Clary smiled back at her. 

“You look better,” Clary said softly. 

“I just needed some sleep and I’m all new,” Izzy chuckled, waving it off. Clary had no way to know if she was still in pain or not. Whatever she was feeling, Izzy was hiding it well. 

William sighed. “What will I tell people when they ask where you are?” 

Clary hummed. “A boarding school out of state. An Art Academy… prestigious and secretive. That would probably shut them up.”

Her father nodded and came to hug her again. She let go of the suitcase again and hugged him tightly. 

“You be careful, alright?” He asked. 

“I promise.” 

Clary and her parents bid her goodbyes. Clary tried not to focus on it much. She would be back. It wasn’t forever. She hated goodbyes anyway, and she was kinda tearful and hated the idea of being this emotional in front of her new friend, who seemed to be quite the master of her own emotional responses. 

Once she was done hugging her parents and Kiko had settled in her arms, Izzy looked at her and nodded. “Let’s go. We don’t want to miss on the welcoming ceremony.” 

She took the ring off of her finger and it extended into the scepter again. Clary was somewhat started to get used to that particular trick. Isabelle took a deep breath and brandished the scepter. 

“Solaria! To Magix!” She shouted, and a bright light engulfed Clary, Kiko and her. She had time to somewhat wave goodbye to her parents for one last time before she felt herself pulled downwards. Clary closed her eyes firmly.

It was a stronger pull than the one she’d felt in the postcard and it made her almost nauseous. It was like being distended, stretched in length in a way. Kiko whined a little. 

With her eyes closed, she wasn’t able to tell when they were done with the transport. All she felt was the sudden lack of pulling, and the ground she landed on.

She opened her eyes again. Izzy was standing over her, holding out her hand with a smile. “The first time is always a bit difficult,” she chuckled and Clary rolled her eyes, taking her hand. 

The grass was deep and soft, and Clary wondered how Izzy managed to stay upright when walking on it with her uncomfortable-looking high heels. Maybe it was magic. Clary was very glad to be wearing combat boots.

They were back around the area where the postcard had taken them, but this time, they were walking out of it. Izzy was leading the way towards the lavender and pink castle, her steps firm. 

Clary sighed for a second. She looked behind her, where she’d landed, where she somehow hoped she would see the line between her old life and her new life. But there wasn’t any line or any doorway to Gardenia. The door had closed already. She’d already chosen. 

“Come on!” Izzy called. “We don’t want to be late.”

Clary swallowed and turned towards the castle again. Kiko ran up towards Izzy, sniffing everything he could sniff. Izzy turned around and looked at Clary, holding out her hand again for her to take. 

Clary took it. 

  
  


\-----------------

In the next chapter, at Alfea, Clary will discover new life and amazing new friends. But, in the Magic Dimension, she will also meet the witches from the school of Cloud Tower, the first problem she will have to deal with. Peace in Magix will be threatened.


	2. Welcome to Magix!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clary and Izzy are assigned to the same dormitory, with Helen, Aline, Maia, and Lydia. The six girls become best of friends and so the 'Winx Club' is formed. Clary encounters the 3 notorious witches of the new college Cloud Tower - Heidi, Camille, and Kaelie.

Clary has found a new friend, Izzy, and together they will make lots of discoveries. Mysterious creatures threaten Izzy, the fairy of the Sun and Moon. She knows how to defend herself. But she should be thankful for Clary’s help. Could she be a fairy too? We’ll find out at Alfea, the school for fairies.

\---------------

Clary and Izzy walked out of the forest and into a clear space that seemed to surround the walls of the castle. Around them, young women were appearing out of nowhere, their suitcases in hand. On the side, there was a tall metallic column, upon which a great M was inscribed. A bus seemed to be parked on the side of the column. 

Clary didn’t know exactly how, but something about this place made her feel at peace, comfortable. It was familiar in a way. She had made the good choice by coming here, she thought to herself. At least she hoped so. 

Izzy was still holding her hand, and she led her through the gates of the school, a large pink archway with two wing-like doors that seemed to be open wide for all students to walk in. The girls around them were beautiful and fashionable, Clary noticed. She also noticed it was mostly women that seemed to attend the school. 

“Are there no guys?” 

Izzy shrugged. “Fairy powers usually occur in women. We don’t really know why, but you’ll find there are only a few boys at the school, or as fairies, around the realms. Men with magic usually follow wizard studies, or paladin ones. That’s the traditional thing to do, I guess.” She explained. 

Clary hummed. There was an interesting idea of gender roles going on in this realm. It was for sure interesting. She would ask around for more about that. For now, she focused on the luminous courtyard they had walked through. 

It was beautiful, with comfortable-looking stone benches, a big fountain decorated with an art-deco metallic structure, and emerald-colored grass. 

"This place is gorgeous," she whispered. The deep pine green of the forest bled out into the grass outside of the gate, but not this one. The only reason Kiko wasn’t already running after the butterflies that flew around the courtyard was because he was scared of the new surroundings, and stuck close to Clary’s side.

Izzy had let go of her hand and was looking at her with a smile. Clary wondered if she felt like that too, after walking into the castle. For some reason, Izzy seemed to be used to it. 

Next to the fountain, a tall man with blonde hair and some interesting scars on his cheeks was going through a list. He was wearing dark teal blue dress pants and waistcoat over a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a couple of unbuttoned buttons. A young woman Clary’s age was standing in front of him, and looking very nervous. 

"What is your name, young lady?" the man asked. 

Clary turned to Izzy for a moment. “Who is that man?” 

“That’s Hodge Starkweather, Head of Discipline,” Izzy explained with a shrug. “He looks like he doesn’t have a heart, but I think it’s in there somewhere.”

The young woman that was being interrogated by the Head of Discipline mumbled her name. "El... Eleanor of Delona. I... I sent my registration form a few..."

"Alright,” Starkweather cut in, “let’s see if your name appears on the list. Eleanor, Eleanor. Are you nervous, young lady?"

Clary realized what was happening immediately and turned to Izzy. “We’re going to have a problem. I’m not on the list. I didn’t register, I didn’t even know about this place until yesterday.” She could feel everything crumbling down around her. She’d left her home, she’d left everything and now she was going to get booted out of what she’d chosen to leave her life behind for. 

She could feel some sort of panic attack arriving and she did not want to have one in front of everyone, in this place, where she was going to get rejected at anyway. 

“Yes, you are on the list,” Izzy shrugged. “At least somehow. I have thought of everything, my dear. The Princess of Callisto was supposed to come here this year, but she changed her mind for some reason.” She pulled an envelope out of her pocket. It was a little crumpled already, and the light that came out of Izzy’s hand and started burning it ensured it wouldn’t be readable. “She gave me a letter to give to the Headmistress. I just won’t give it to her, that’s all. Anyway, no one here knows the Princess of Callisto, she’s never really left her realm. Her parents are some of the kind that inspire fairytales about imprisoned princesses."

Clary was a bit gobsmacked. She hadn’t been expecting this from Izzy, who seemed so regal and princess-like. Now she was expecting her to lie about her identity, take someone else’s name and spot, and not care about it.

"And you want me to take her place? Come on, Izzy, we’re being dishonest here."

Izzy shrugged again and looked at her. “It’s nothing. No one will care. Besides, it’s too late to turn back now. Do you want this, or not?” 

Clary barely had time to say yes or no before she and Izzy were standing in front of Hodge Starkweather. He was taller than her for sure, with serious blue eyes. She couldn’t help but stare at the crescent-shaped scars on his cheekbones for a second.

“Good morning, Mr. Starkweather," Izzy said with a sunny smile. 

The man raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Well, if it isn’t Princess Isabelle of Solaria,” he said in a tired and sarcastic tone. Clary was starting to believe that, at school, Izzy was much wilder than when she was in full princess mode. “I never thought I’d see you back here. After what happened last year, I’m surprised you’ve chosen to grace us with your presence... once again."

Clary’s gut feeling was right. 

Izzy shrugged nonchalantly. "I don’t give up that easily you know."

The man almost rolled his eyes at her before turning back to Clary. "Right and who’s your friend?" Clary swallowed and stared back at him, trying to stay as calm as she could and not let transpire that she wasn’t supposed to be there.

"The Princess of Callisto,” Izzy introduced. 

Hodge Starkweather looked through the list. "The Princess of Callisto? Hmmm…” For a few excruciatingly long seconds, he seemed to struggle with finding her name. “Ah! Varanda Callisto." He finally exclaimed. 

"Yeah, that’s me."

Starkweather nodded and checked something on the list. "You two may come through. Next!"

Clary carefully kept herself from running towards the other accepted fairies. She needed to play it cool. Somehow, she already felt like it wasn’t going to last for very long. She wasn’t good at lying, and she wasn’t comfortable with what she’d just done. When they realized she was a fraud, they would expel her, and then she would have nowhere to go.

“So… what happened last year?" Clary asked curiously. 

Izzy had a bit of a guilty look on her face before she shook her head and waved her hand around, dismissing the question. "Ugh! It was nothing, Mr. Starkweather loves to dramatize."

As they walked towards a small gathering of students, Izzy left her for a moment and went to say hi to a few people she knew. She was back soon and they chatted, waiting for… something? Clary wasn’t sure what but she was following Izzy’s direction, since she seemed to be doubling this year. 

After a moment, Hodge Starkweather cleared his throat and gathered everyone in a group in front of the entrance. Clary quickly looked around her and counted everyone that was there. They were 36, and she was guessing they were all first years. 

"This school will be your home for at least the next three years,” Starkweather started, standing tall with his hands behind his back. “But it doesn’t mean that you get to do everything you want. I trust that you were all educated with some sort of discipline and sense of restriction, and things will not be different here. The rules of this institution are based on discipline. Disregard these rules and I’ll personally escort you to the front gate.” 

The threat resounded in the silent courtyard and Clary could feel herself falter a little. She was lying about her identity, for sure this would cost her her spot here the second they realized what was going on. She sent Izzy a look, and the dark-haired fairy winked at her in reply. Clary didn’t know if she was reassured by that. 

Starkweather continued. “This is not a magician’s school. You’re not here to learn hocus-pocus. We expect our future Guardian Fairies to be responsible and mature. Consequently, you may not use your powers in the hallways or other common areas. In fact, the only place you may display your powers is in your classroom under teacher supervision,” he explained. He then turned to Izzy and gave her a pointed look. “Is that clear, Princess Isabelle? Thanks to you and your antics, the Potion laboratory will not be accessible until the next month at the earliest. Now, I think you know what not to do, if you wish to stay.”

Clary looked at her friend. Izzy was a bit flushed, seemingly from embarrassment at being put on the spot this way. So it really seemed like Izzy was much wilder and likely to cause trouble than she had looked like before. Clary found that she liked that. 

"You did that?" Clary asked, whispering.

Izzy shrugged, but it was obvious she was trying to disguise her guilt and shame under a careless and tough attitude. "So? My father paid for all the damages."

Clary opened her mouth to reply to her but there was a clearing of throat. "Sorry, I’m late, I hope you’ll excuse me."

A group of four people were walking towards them. At the head of it, the woman who had spoken was radiating wisdom and confidence. She was Black, her hair styled in an afro, and she looked powerful. With her was a dark-haired woman with glasses and a beautiful up-do, a tall man with horns, and a silver-and-black haired man using a cane to walk. 

“Students,” Hodge Starkweather called out. “Here comes Dean Cleophas Graymark and your professors. Attention!” 

The black woman chuckled. “ I hope Mr. Starkweater hasn’t frighten you too much,” she said in a gentle voice. “Welcome to Alfea! The best fairy college in the whole of Magix. Well, it’s also the only one.” 

Clary had a small chuckle at that. She liked Ms Graymark. 

“Come on in, everyone,” the Dean called, as she started walking up the stairs towards the great doors of the college. 

They walked through tall emerald doors into the warm, candlelit entrance hall. Across from the door that they’d come through was a great flight of stairs, leading to the first floor. On the wall, where the staircase divided in two, was a great window with a decorative colored glass design. The design represented a fairy, standing tall, hovering over the ground. On the sides of the stairs and behind it were alcoves, with additional doorways leading into corridors. Clary looked around curiously. No matter how dark the corner were, they did not scare her. She felt safe there. She felt at home. 

“And so we begin our orientation session,” Ms Graymark explained, looking around the room at the small crowd. “by the end of which, we should all know each other better. Becoming a fairy is hard work, but I know everyone here can do it. Keep in mind that the teachers and I are always here to help you.” She seemed to exchange a look with Hodge Starkweather before starting again. “Feel free to explore your surroundings, you have no class today.”

Izzy leaned towards Clary and whispered. “Now she’s gonna say “However, you would be smart to stay away from the Witches of Cloud Tower. Listen!”

Just as Izzy finished talking, Ms Graymark took a more serious air and said in a more firm tone. “However, you would be smart to stay away from the Witches of Cloud Tower!”

Izzy made a little ‘yes’ and punched the air in satisfaction. Clary chuckled at that. 

Starkweather glared at them before calling to everyone. "Alright, speeches are over, everyone’s dismissed, you’re free ’til dinner time."

Ms Graymark nodded. "Good luck, everybody, I’ll see you all tomorrow. Oh... and classes start at 8 o’ clock sharp. Do be punctual."

Clary didn’t really have time to think before Izzy had grabbed her hand and was pulling her up the stairs. Kiko ran after them quickly. They turned into a corridor, with high rib-vaulted ceilings. Again, the warmth of the light that came through the window was comforting to Clary. She didn’t know if it was the magic or something else. 

"You’ll like Dean Graymark,” Izzy smiled. “She always says the same thing, but she’s really nice."

"Who are the witches of Cloud Tower?" Clary asked curiously. She hadn’t heard anything about them for now. This world held many more secrets than expected. 

"Magix has three major schools,” Izzy explained. “Alfea is one. There’s the Red Fountain, school of Specialists, that’s where the guys that saved our asses go. Finally, there’s the witches’ school of Cloud Tower."

“What’s the difference between a witch and a fairy? Are we really enemies?”

“They use dark magic, while we use light magic. It’s not really a big difference, and in essence, we’re basically the same, but they are vessels of darkness, and usually, they have less than pleasant intentions. Witches or fairies… we’re all there to preserve magical balance in the universe. We wouldn’t want them gone.” 

Kiko was running a bit ahead of them, sniffing about the corridor. He was getting braver in his explorations. 

They started walking past rooms with names written on a list, pinned to the doors. Izzy quickly checked every one of them, and Clary just followed her. She knew what was happening. She knew what this place was about and where to go and Clary desperately needed that right now. 

They stopped further into the corridor. Izzy grinned, pointing at the list. "Hey look! We’re in the same apartment!” 

Clary blinked at the list. “Isabelle of Solaria, Helen, Varanda of Callisto, Lydia, Aline, and Maia of Andros,” she read out. “Why do some only have first names?” 

“Because they’re not royals,” Izzy shrugged and pushed the door open, walking into the room. The main room was square, with five doors and a little living area, complete with a computer desk, a table and a small kitchen. “That’s my room over there, the same one I had last year,” Izzy explained and pushed the double door open. 

The bedroom was big, with a giant closet taking over a wall, and a big, circular bed with delicate see-through curtains. Light was streaming in from a big window with a balcony. 

"You’ve got a room all to yourself?” Clary exclaimed. She looked back at one of the other doors, on which there was a sign reading ‘Helen, Varanda of Callisto’. She sighed. She was not going to be able to have even a small moment of intimacy to keep her cover intact. “ I’ve got a roommate.”

Izzy frowned. “That’s strange. Varanda is a royal, so she should have a solo room too,” she thought. 

Clary huffed. “Didn’t you say her parents were weird?” 

“Right. They wouldn’t have wanted her to be alone in a room.” 

Clary crossed the common living area again and pushed open the door of her room. She stepped inside, closing the door behind herself. As she shifted to let Kiko walk next to her, she felt something under the sole of her shoe. 

A loud cry of pain resounded in the room, and it sounded so human that Clary opened wide confused and sorry eyes. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed, turning to see who she had hurt. 

Instead of a person, there was a potted plant. A quite ugly potted plant, that seemed to be muttering something in a strangely human voice.

“No, no, excuse me,” someone said, and Clary turned around again, hoping that this time, she would be faced with a human person. Well, at least fairy person. She sighed in relief as she was greeted by the sight of a young blonde-haired woman. “I just got here and well, I left my things all over the floor,” she said in an apologetic tone. “This is a talking plant, one of my creations. My name is Helen.”

Helen wore a green maxi dress with a floral pattern and some simple cord sandals. She looked sweet and elegant and Clary somewhat felt guilty for not only stepping on her plant but being so annoyed about having a roommate.

"Uh, my name’s Clary,” she said without thinking.

Behind her, Izzy cleared her throat loudly. “Clary?” 

Fuck. She was so bad at this. Clary looked around with a bit of a nervous smile and shook her head. "I mean, yes, Clary is a name I like a lot, but it’s not my name. In fact, my real name is... Varanda of, uh, Callisto. Yeah, that’s it." She sounded absolutely hesitant, and she wouldn’t have faulted Helen for finding her weird.

"Callisto?” An unknown voice said. “Fourth world of magic realm’s upper ring. Wow! That’s quite a ways away.”

A young woman around their age stepped in the room as well. She had a short purple haircut with some dirty blonde roots, and wore lavender and yellow sweatpants. That was unusual. Well, everything about this world was unusual, to Clary. 

“Hi,” the purple-haired woman said. “I’m Lydia."

Izzy took on a bright smile and turned to her. “Isabelle.” 

"Hey, I’ve heard about you,” Lydia said with wide eyes.

"Me too,” came a voice from outside the room. An Asian woman with short black hair in pigtails looked at them, walking through the door. “By the way, before you blow up your room, give us time to duck and cover, okay?" She joked. 

Izzy huffed, growing red again. "Oh, it was just an accident, if you really want to know."

Lydia raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "An accident that got you expelled? How did you manage to get readmitted?" Her tone was somewhat curious, but she seemed to be having trouble with emoting more than that. 

Izzy had a small chuckle. "Well, the truth is they couldn’t do without someone as gorgeous as me,” she joked. Clary chuckled. Izzy seemed to be quite uncomfortable discussing the events of the past year. Clary guessed she would be too, had she been in her shoes.

There was a sudden loud yelp and Clary turned around. The plant that she’d stepped on earlier was now holding Kiko by the leg, and the poor dog was screaming in fear. 

"Bad plant!” Helen scolded. “Put him down right away!"

Clary shook her head, looking at her dog. She knew Kiko well enough to know there was probably more to the story than just a facetious plant. "No, Helen. Don’t scold your plant. Kiko probably tried to eat it. It was just trying to defend itself." She said as she noticed some green around Kiko’s mouth. 

"Speaking of food,” Izzy said, stretching her arms up. “What do you say we eat out tonight? It’ll be our way of celebrating the new school year." 

"Great idea,” Helen smiled. “That will give us a chance to get to know one another!”

“I heard something about food?” Another voice resounded and another girl walked into the room. She was black, with curly hair and a sweet smile. Her eyes were a gorgeous dark brown shade. She wore a black crop top and some oversized cargo pants, with chunky sneakers. Around her neck was a fancy necklace, and Clary guessed it was probably crown jewels, like Izzy’s necklace. 

“You must be Maia of Andros,” Izzy grinned. “So nice to have another royal here!”

“Isn’t Varanda a royal?” Lydia asked with a frown. 

Clary mumbled. “Oh yeah, but Izzy and I have known each other for so long, it’s almost like we’re family.” She immediately went back to the food to deflect the attention onto something else. "Anyone for pizza?"

"What’s "pizza"?" The dark-haired Asian girl asked. Clary hadn’t managed to catch her name. 

She’d thought that pizza was going to be an easy way to get everyone to agree but she guessed there wasn’t any pizza here. That was a very sad world, if there was no pizza. Clary briefly wondered if she could get her parents to send her pepperoni pizza regularly in packages so she could survive the year.

"Yeah, what is it?" Helen asked.

Clary struggled to find an answer to that. "It’s the national dish of Callisto... More or less."

\------------------------

As they all walked out of the rooms, carrying their purses, the girls didn’t realize they were being watched. 

Hodge Starkweather stood in the shadows, following them from their room to the courtyard. He knew something was up with these girls, especially Varanda of Callisto. She didn’t look like Hodge’s memory of Varanda, and she didn’t even look very much like the King and Queen of Callisto. 

That and her nervous behavior told him something was afoot. 

He let them go, watching as they walked out of the castle and waited for the bus to Magix to get to the stop. 

\-------------------

The bus ride was entirely smooth. Clary didn’t remember the last time that she’d been in a bus that wasn’t bumping along the ride. She was actually convinced that it was impossible for a bus to drive smoothly.

The bus came to a halt and a little jingle resounded from speakers. Following it, a voice that was almost too naturally human announced the name of the stop. 

"Magix station! Last stop, please transfer here!"

Izzy nudged Clary and she got up from her seat. The six young women walked out of the bus and out onto the sidewalk of one of the busiest streets of Magix City. 

Clary looked around. The cars had no wheels and hovered above ground instead of rolling on roads, but that was probably the strangest thing that there was about this place. It looked a bit futuristic compared to Gardenia, rounded and smooth buildings in gravity defying shapes but it wasn’t what Clary had expected.

She didn’t know what she had expected, really. Maybe something more fantasy-like. Here, it all looked more scifi than fantasy, and she guessed she’d wanted to see that side of the fairy realm she’d dreamt up. Horses and flowers everywhere and a sense of atemporal awe. 

"You look disappointed,” Izzy said softly, looking at her. 

“I guess so,” Clary sighed. “It’s different from what I thought it would be. You know… Magix City, Capital of the realm of Magix, most enchanted city in the universe?"

"Well, what did you think it would be like?" Izzy asked curiously. 

"I don’t know. Dragons, gnomes, wizards, shops full of magic wands..."

The dark-haired woman couldn’t help but laugh. “Dragons, gnomes and wizards exist. But they aren’t exactly the same as story book ones. Dragons are wild, except for the ones kept at the Red Fountain. Gnomes are usually in forests, and wizards well… You met one yesterday.” 

Clary opened her mouth and closed it again. 

“I guess I thought it would be more… outwardly magical,” she ended up saying. “It seems relatively normal…”

Isabelle shrugged. “The thing is, here, magic is normal. It’s everywhere, and it’s not a big deal. Here everything lives off its own magical energy. If you want to see it, you just gotta look."

Aline huffed. “Now that we’re done with the intro, can we get to the restaurant? I’m starving.”

Clary chuckled. “You’re right. Let’s eat!”

They all started walking towards the closest food court, Helen leading the way. Aline was chatting with her as they walked, while Lydia, Maia, Izzy followed closely. Clary was a little bit behind, regularly getting held back by looking around at the city. The magic was easier to see now that she knew it was there. 

They walked past a eye glasses shop and she caught sight of a tall yellow person, but they were turning their back to her and she didn’t see much more. She didn’t really focus on that, but rather pegged it to the diversity of people in the magical realm. After all, there were already witches, fairies, wizards, and gnomes, according to Izzy. A big yellow person was probably something that existed to. 

They made it to the food court and each chose their foods. Clary followed after Izzy’s order, repeating it as closely as she could. When she got her food, she realized that it looked a lot like pizza, actually, except it wasn’t called that at all. That was good to know, at least she could eat something familiar. 

The six girls sat around the table. While Izzy and Clary had the pizza-like meal, Lydia had chosen a sort of soup, and Maia, Helen and Aline all had some noodles, served with thin slices of meat and vegetables. They started eating slightly after and chatting. 

“So what brings all of you to Alfea?” Izzy asked, munching on her piece of not-pizza.

Clary swallowed. She didn’t know if that was the best question to ask, since she had no idea what Varanda would answer. 

Helen straightened up before she spoke. “I was chosen amongst all fairies of age of Linphea to be sent to Alfea to become my kingdom’s Guardian Fairy. The Guardian Fairies of Linphea have always been chosen outside of the royal family. It’s a great honor for me to be there.” 

Clary opened wide eyes. “That’s amazing! You must have been so good!”

Helen had a bit of a blush. “I was the best of all preparatory schools, and my skills in healing and defensive magic, and nature magic were a big reason why I was chosen.” 

“Well, next to you, I sure feel like I don’t have the credentials,” Izzy huffed. “I was sent to Alfea because my parents wanted me to have the best possible fairy education. Whether I become Guardian fairy or not isn’t really what matters. They just want me to be the best. That’s why I’m here and not at the Solarian Fairy school.”

Aline smiled. “That’s still great. Your parents seem to care a lot.”

“I guess so,” Izzy shrugged, toying with the crust of her not-pizza. “I kinda wish they’d care differently though.” 

“Alfea had the best enrollment to graduation ratio,” Lydia said, shrugging. “It was the best choice, logically. And unlike some other good academies that have fairy curricula, it allows non-royals to enroll for free.”

Aline nodded. “That was definitely an argument for me too. I knew I wanted to be a Guardian Fairy rather than just a music fairy. Else I would have gone to the Golden Auditorium. And since the Princess of Melody didn’t want to be a Guardian, I just jumped on the occasion.” 

Maia slurped one of her noodles as everyone turned to her. She chuckled. “Princess of Andros. Don’t really have a huge choice about it, my parents really expect a proper fairy education.” 

Helen turned to Clary and smiled. “What about you, Varanda?” 

Clary opened her mouth to say something but Izzy shrugged. “You know. Varanda, Maia, me, all royals. Stuff is expected of us for sure.” 

Clary nodded. “Yes, exactly.” She looked at the time. She’d left Gardenia hours ago. She sighed. “I need to call my family. I’ll be right back,” she said, as she took her phone out of her pocket. 

“What, with that?” Lydia huffed, pointing at the iphone in Clary’s hand. 

“Yeah. It’s my phone.” 

"This is prehistoric technology,” Lydia chuckled. “Where did you get that thing?"

Clary looked up at her with a frown. “That’s… not possible.” Unless they considered a couple of years ago to be prehistory, this was a rather recent model. 

“Damn, I would have thought the Princess of Callisto would have some serious tech, but that’s just… cute,” Lydia chuckled. She twisted the phone around, looking at it. “But it’s really interesting in a like… research way. Old tech is so fun to study.” 

Aline nudged her, raising an eyebrow and Lydia sighed, before turning back to Clary. "Sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed, that was rude."

Clary shook her head. “It’s fine.” 

Izzy rummaged through her purse for a second before she took out a bright purple card with a phone logo on it. “Here. That’s my payphone card. There’s a cabin right outside of the court.” 

“I’ll pay you back,” Clary promised, taking the card and running off towards the payphone cabin. 

She closed the door of the pod-shaped cabin before sliding the card in the slot. A screen lit up, showing her different options of call destination. She slid through several menus before she managed to find “Earth”. It seemed not to be a popular call destination. She entered the codes and the phone number and waited. 

The tonality was a bit different than the Earth one, she noticed. There was a light noise and her mom picked up. 

"Hello? Clary?"

"Hi, mom,” Clary sighed in relief. She hadn’t really known if this was going to work. Magic phones were not something she was used to. 

“How is it going, darling?” Amber asked presumably from the other side of the universe.

“Everything is great,” Clary sighed. “The school is wonderful. I’m sharing a dorm with Izzy and four other girls. We’re currently out in the capital of the realm, and I had pizza that wasn’t called pizza at all!” 

Her mom chuckled on the other side. “That’s great, Clary. Did you get your first classes already?” 

“No, courses start tomorrow morning. But don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted, alright?” Clary smiled, and she turned around, twirling the cord of the phone in her hand as her eyes watched people walk by without really realizing. 

“Don’t forget to be careful, okay? And call us whenever you can.” 

“I won’t forget, I promise!” Clary said, and just as she was saying that, she saw it. 

The yellow monster that had attacked Izzy, then her and her family in Gardenia. Was it following them? She had to do something, she had to follow it and try to keep it from her friends!

“Uh, mom, I’ve gotta go now, my friends are calling me, so a big hug and kiss daddy for me please. Bye.” Clary said as fast as she could before slamming the phone back on its hook and running out of the cabin. 

The creature was acting weird. It stuck to the walls, trying not to be noticed, and creeping around the corner. Clary followed it as quietly as she could. As they both turned around the block, she noticed it was watching a group of people. It didn’t take long for Clary to recognize her friends. 

It was insane how fast she’d gone from ‘these are strangers’ to ‘these are my friends’, but she’d always been a bit like that. She’d always been always ready to adopt people in her family. 

She kept following the creature, even as it left its watching point and started walking into a dark alley. She swallowed. She wasn’t exactly super comfortable with finding herself in that alley but she really needed to know what was going on. And she was a fairy. She could defend herself, couldn’t she? 

Clary settled behind a trash can, and watched as the yellow creature stopped in the middle of the alleyway. Suddenly, as three silhouettes moved out from the shadows, clouds gathered and wind blew, the temperature dropping sensibly. 

The one that seemed to be leading the three people was tall. She had blonde hair, held up in a ponytail . She wore a sleeveless navy blue bodysuit and a royal blue cape, with boots a darker shade of blue. Down the front of the suit, Clary could see a white stripe that formed a thin belt with the letter "H" over the stomach. She had fingerless gloves, and even from far, Clary could see the dark eyeshadow that covered her eyelids. 

On her right was another woman. Her hair was long, brown, styled in loose curls. She had the same type of bodysuit as the first one, except it was a dark purple color and her pants were shorter, more Capri-style. Her gloves, ankle boots, and choker were all a lighter shade of purple. From the choker down was the same white stripe as the first woman’s, except it formed the letter “C” instead of H. 

On the left of the H-wearing one, was a third woman. She had brown hair as well, but tanner skin, her hair streaked with dark fuschia. It was messier than her dark-haired friend’s. Her clothing was a bit different, with a dress instead of a bodysuit. It was a dark fuschia dress with a flared collar, matching elbow-length gloves that stopped at the palm, fuchsia tights and short, dark fuchsia heeled boots with pointed toes. She had a choker as well, and the white stripe formed a “K”. 

Clary couldn’t help the feeling of doom and gloom that overwhelmed her at the sight of them. She was trying to inch closer to listen more but the yellow monster moved, keeping her from watching and cutting off most of the conversation.

Finally, it moved again. “Well, that’s better,” Clary couldn’t help but mutter. Something shifted in the air, but she didn’t pay much attention to it. The three women and the creature had seemed to stop chatting and she almost swore. She had missed all of it. 

Suddenly, she was brutally shoved by some sort of great force and she flew out of her hiding place and landed painfully at the feet of the women and the creature. She knew it had been someone’s doing, but she couldn’t remember feeling any… hands. It had been more like some sort of crashing wave or wall. 

She struggled to get up, her whole body aching. The first thing she saw was the first woman’s boots. She looked up. They were all looking down at him with smirks on their faces, and all Clary could think was “run”. 

The purple-wearing one disappeared suddenly, and Clary blinked. Nothing made sense.

"So, did you like our little joke?" H-girl asked, a cold chuckle in her voice. 

Clary didn’t have time to reply because behind her, where her exit should have been, a voice resounded.

"Turn around!” The purple one exclaimed. “Surprise!" She was laughing at her now, looking at her like she was dirt under her shoe. Her cold smile didn’t reach her eyes. Clary could only feel cold. And scared. 

She couldn’t be scared. She was strong, and she’d shown herself as strong, and powerful, in front of much uglier monsters. She’d helped defeated the troll and the red ant monsters, she could take down three twenty-year-old women, right? 

“You won’t hurt me,” Clary exclaimed, trying to get up somewhat. Her body was shaky, and she couldn’t explain why. "I am a fairy!"

She opened her hand, and tried to get herself to shoot out some sort of energy blast. All that came out of her open palm was a little trail of glittery sparks, and they didn’t even graze the three women. 

The blue one’s laugh was cruel, and it hurt Clary. She’d thought she could do it, but now that she was in an actual magic realm, nothing had happened. Was it only working in Gardenia? 

"Ha! You think you scare us?” The blue one laughed. “I’ll show you magic.”

She held out her arms. From her hands came out icy blue sparks, and the temperature dropped down in seconds. Clary felt her hair rise and her body get colder, her teeth starting to shake. With another motion of the woman’s hands, giant icicles starting to bloom from the ground, trapping Clary in between sharp ice blades. She felt it some nick and tear at her exposed arms. 

The one dressed in purple, the one that had shoved her earlier, moved forward next. With hands joined and palms opened, she threw a soundwave into the icicles. They broke, and Clary was sent flying back again, unable to catch herself as she fell. She was frozen, she had a headache and felt dizzy from the shock of the crashing sound wave. 

She couldn’t do anything but watch as the third woman stepped forward. With a great snarl, the third one summoned was Clary could only describe as a tornado. She was swept away, and she screamed in fear. She couldn’t keep herself from showing how terrified she was. The tornado winds slammed her into the wall of a house, too high, and Clary grabbed onto the closest she could find, the edge of a balcony. Her cold fingers felt like they were going to break as she held herself there.

"And that is magic, little girl,” the third woman shrugged. 

Clary made the mistake of believing that this was over. A very stupid mistake. An icy wind caught her and pried her from the balcony edge. 

“Get down here! I’m not done yet!” The first woman exclaimed.

Clary cried out. It slammed her down into a pile of trash. Her breath was painfully forced out of her lungs and she struggled to regain it, feeling heavy weight on her entire rib cage. Her eyes seemed to be unable to really focus as tears of pain were overflowing them, blurring her surroundings. 

“And now... The final touch!”

She didn’t get to take in her breath before ice grew over her. It started from the ground and encased her feet, growing over her entire body and pushing it upright, forcing her back to arch back. Her eyes were still open, she could see but she couldn’t move. It was so cold. She was going to die in there. 

The blue-wearing woman walked to contemplate her work, and hummed in appreciation. Clary wasn’t able to hear what she was saying, as she scratched her nails onto the ice. 

Clary, prisoner of the ice, was only able to watch. The three women seemed to be disrupted by something and Clary somehow saw what it was. Her friends stood in front of the women and the creature. The two groups exchanged taunts and the creature charged towards the fairies. Clary wished she could do something. 

The girls dodged the first attack. Light blinded everyone suddenly, and when Clary could see again, the five young women were now in their fairy forms. Clary had already seen Izzy’s before, the orange crop top and short combo, but she’d never seen the others’. 

Lydia circled the monster. She wore a full-body suit of a sparkling lavender color covering her torso and legs. Her powder blue knee-high high heeled boots struck the ground with certainty. She screamed something. Her wings were so different too, Clary couldn’t help but wonder why. It seemed that hers were the only ones that did not look like traditional fairies wings. Rather, they were green and in the shape of a glider. It was the same green that poured out her when a cage, which Clary guessed was why she had screamed earlier, materialized to imprison the yellow monster. It buzzed with an energy Clary could feel, even from within her icy imprisonment. 

Aline striked next. She shouted something, probably the name of a spell, and her pigtails moved as she shot the energy beams towards the caged monster. Her outfit was now a glittery red left-sided one strap top with translucent pink fabric at the middle, a red mini skirt covering some matching shorts, and red knee-high wedge boots. It seemed strangely feminine for what Clary had seen of Aline’s style, but fairy forms were true representations of fairies’ power, not a stylistic thing. 

Magic-made sound waves seemed to pound around the monster’s head, and even the ice vibrated. Clary saw Izzy wince at the sound of the magic waves. It was affecting everyone. Aline seemed to be the only of them not to be kinda uncomfortable with the sound. That could be due to the headphones her fairy form had added to her outfit. 

Helen still looked uncomfortable as she flew forward, holding out arms covered in light pink elbow-to-wrist fingerless gloves. She blew on her hands and lime green magical pollen flew towards the monster. Clary had the time to notice that the pollen was the same color as Helen’s wings, line green, translucent and shaped like leaves.

The magical polen planted itself in the ground beneath the caged monster and wrapped around its limbs. Right as the energy cage broke, Lydia’s spell not holding for long, the magical plants held the monster tied tightly so it wouldn’t escape. Helen got back to the ground, fuschia dress blowing and revealing the mini shorts underneath, just as the vines growing around the monster seemed to get a life of their own and threw the bound creature towards a wall. The monster screamed as it flew. 

As the three scary women realized the creature was defeated, they turned towards the fairies. The blue one, whose powers seemed to be ice-related, sent a burst of icicle daggers flying towards them. All the fairies gathered behind Maia, who deployed a plasma shield. 

Maia’s outfit was an all-green, just as sparkly as the others’, ensemble, composed of a one-shoulder top and a mini skirt atop mini shorts. There was a sash connecting her top and skirt, and several silver rings around her outfit and on her arms. Her wings were sky blue with spiky-styled mauve tips, the same mauve as the plasma shield she was keeping up.

Immediately following the ice burst, the fuschia-wearing woman was the next to attack. Her energy ray was electric and it made Maia’s shield explode, sending all of them onto the ground. 

Clary wished she could get to her friends, but she couldn’t feel anything in her body but the cold that was taking her over. She watched as Izzy stumbled to her feet and grabbed her scepter. 

Suddenly, there was no more ice. 

Izzy transported them nearby. Clary could still feel the cold, and she was struggling to move, every breath feeling hard and painful. Izzy sat down by her side, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Clary closed her eyes. 

Izzy started radiating heat, and Clary snuggled deeper against her, laying her head on Izzy’s chest and sighing. She was shaking slightly but Izzy kept her close, one hand gently caressing her exposed, frozen skin. 

“You’re gonna be alright, Clary,” Izzy whispered gently. “It’s okay, you’re safe now. You were so brave, I’m so proud of you!"

Clary could feel herself smile, at Izzy’s words. She was glad Izzy wasn’t mad at her for getting herself in danger, for getting her in the kind of situation where she could have had her scepter stolen. 

She was starting to move and feel much better. As they both looked up from their little bubble of warmth, they noticed the four other girls, standing above them with arms crossed and something a bit annoyed on their faces. 

Aline leaned forward, looking at them. “So. Is there anything we should know about Clary of Callisto?" She asked. She was angry. They all were. 

Clary opened her mouth to speak, but once again, Izzy was too fast. "Er... Well, I might have been lying a bit about Clary’s background. I’ll explain everything on our way back to Alfea." 

They all got on the bus and started the way back to the castle. Helen and Aline were sitting closely, and were chatting quietly, while Clary, Izzy, Maia and Lydia discussed Clary’s background a little more. Maia and Lydia were especially curious. 

They weren’t that mad, it turned out, as Izzy explained everything to them. They were annoyed that Clary and Izzy hadn’t trusted them with the information in the first place, but they understood why they hadn’t, and it was all that mattered. 

\---------------------

The telltale tug of students entering the warded area of the school warned Hodge and Cleophas that the students were back. They’d been waiting for a few hours, ever since Hodge had seen them walk out and known, immediately, that with Isabelle of Solaria leading them, they would not be back by curfew. 

He’d taken his concerns to the Dean, who had then told him that something was wrong with the list of enrolled students. According to the list he’d checked as students were coming in, Varanda of Callisto was present. However, Dean Graymark had received a message from the Royal Family of Callisto that their daughter wouldn’t be attending, since they did not trust Isabelle of Solaria entirely when it came to delivering the news. 

A quick investigation had revealed that an unknown student had taken Varanda’s place, led into the castle by Isabelle. It had also revealed that said student was now sharing a room with the future Linphean Guardian Fairy, a young woman named Helen, and an apartment with Isabelle and another princess, Crown Princess Maia of Andros.

Both Hodge and Cleophas were ready the second the girls tried to come into the building. Isabelle was still leading them, which proved to be absolutely no surprise to both members of the staff. 

Hodge cleared his throat, coming out of the shadows. “Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Cleophas nodded. "Young ladies! We were worried sick! Go to bed immediately. We’ll discuss the rules again tomorrow."

As all the girls walked past them, Hodge grabbed the arm of the red-haired one, the one they had realized was not who she was supposed to be. "Not so fast, Princess Varanda. Isn’t there something you forgot to tell us?"

The girl looked very guilty and sheepish as Hodge let go of her arm. He noticed also that the other students had stopped in their tracks the moment he had grabbed her. She was already making friends, and strong bonds were already forming between them and her. 

“I’m not Varanda of Callisto,” the girl said softly. “My name is Clary Fairchild.”

Hodge shook his head. “Shame on you, young lady. Identity theft is not permitted. Especially identity theft of a royal.”

Dean Cleophas stepped forward. “She might not be Princess Varanda, but she must be a magical creature or the barrier would’ve kept her out. Now, tell me, Clary, why didn’t you give us your real name?" 

"Well, I..." The girl started replying, but Isabelle cut her off, stepping forward.

“It’s my fault! This whole thing was my idea."

The red-haired student shook her head. "It’s okay, Izzy. I come from a small town on planet Earth called-”

Hodge scoffed. "Outside the realm of Magix? Utterly impossible!" Fairies hadn’t been born on Earth for centuries. Earth was a lost cause to magical beings everywhere, and no one ever bothered trying to reignite the Winx there. It had been too damaged, and the horrible circumstances of the Earth fairies’ disappearance had tainted the planet forever.

"I beg you, don’t send me away. I’ve always wanted to be a fairy with all my heart and now I can make my dream come true."

Hodge shook his head, deaf to her pleas. "You lied to us and that is unforgivable!"

"But, she also has a dream and she totally believes in it. She has displayed a great tenacity and isn’t that a quality that every fairy should possess?" Dean Graymark pointed out. 

Hodge sighed a little. She was right. And it wasn’t like Varanda was going to come now that her place was free. They could keep the girl. They could also punish her severely with detention for the next three years for her lies.

"Now, go to bed, all of you,” Cleophas said. “And don’t make any more noise."

The six students thanked her and left.

Hodge immediately turned to her and shook his head. 

The woman sighed. "I didn’t think there were any fairies left on Earth."

Hodge nodded in agreement. "Me neither, I thought they’d all disappeared centuries ago, when the Circle attacked them..."

"Well, then, who is Clary?"

\-------------------

Not long after, the six fairies had gathered in Clary and Helen’s bedroom, wearing their pjs. Clary was wearing an oversized hoodie from a popular Earth tv show and some shorts. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed

“What if we called ourselves the Winx?” She suddenly blurted out, and everyone turned their attention towards her. 

"What?"

Clary chuckled at their tired and confused expressions. "The Winx, us! I mean, if we’re going to be a group, we should have a name! Don’t you think?" 

"Actually,” Lydia pointed out, something thoughtful on her face. “it’s not a bad idea... A name is good for a quick reference."

Izzy, who was sitting next to Clary, wearing a fancy, lacy nightgown that would not look too out of place in a period tv show, hummed. "It’s true! The three witches are the Trix. And we could be called something like…” She paused for a moment. Her smile became a little mischievious as she started offering names. “The Super Six... The Izzy Six... Oh, I’ve got it! The Airy Fairies!" 

"The... The what?" Aline asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Airy Fairies! It’s short and sweet and it rhymes!” Izzy chuckled. “What’s wrong? You don’t like it, Aline?" She said sarcastically.

"Nah... it sounds terrible!"

Maia raised a hand from her position on the floor. "I vote for Winx!"

All the others ended up saying some version of "Me too."

"Perfect!” Clary grinned. “We’re the Winx. I mean… it’s stupid but I saw it written on some stuff in Magix City. And I didn’t even think about asking: What does "Winx" mean?"

Helen grinned. “It’s the name of a fairy’s magical energy. I have a nature-sourced winx, while Izzy has a sun-sourced Winx. And it kinda also became the name of the basic fairy form. The one you saw us take today!”

“Nerd,” Izzy chuckled. 

Clary chuckled as well and looked at them. “So now we’re the Winx. One day, everyone will be learning the definition of Winx, and adding a reference to us at the end.” 

\------------------

In the next chapter, there’s going to be a big party in Magix. This is an opportunity to meet the Specialists. The boys from Red Fountain are really amazing. The witches won’t be invited, and they will react. What will they do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this!
> 
> Shoot me an ask or a DM on my tumblr @enkelimagnus, or reach me on my Twitter @enkelimagnus!  
I have anons on and curiouscat so don't be shy!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this!
> 
> Shoot me an ask or a DM on my tumblr @enkelimagnus, or reach me on my Twitter @enkelimagnus!  
I have anons on and curiouscat so don't be shy!


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